The Essentials: 6-7, 185-lb forward for Bloomington South and Indiana Mean Streets

The Schools: According to Rivals.com, Indiana, Oregon, Oregon State, Virginia, Washington and Washington State have offered scholarships. Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Purdue have expressed interest.

The Leaders: Indiana and Virginia are believed to be the two schools recruiting Bell the hardest. Bell’s mother, Quacy Timmons (formerly Barnes) played at IU and in the WNBA for four seasons.

The Quote: “I’m hoping for more colleges to come in during the summer. I’m trying to have fun with it. I’m just trying to play and get better. And I want to get bigger. I’ve been trying to work on it. We have weight class in high school, so that helps.” – Bell to The Indianapolis Star.

The Ranking: ESPN’s Scout’s Inc. ranks Bell a 95 on its 100-point scale.

The Scout Says: “In the first game of the day, Bell, a 6-foot-7 power forward, was active and aggressive for the Indiana squad. He scored with his right hand in the paint and owned the offensive glass, scoring off put backs and tip-ins. Although he’s not the quickest, Bell was willing to run the floor and finished when he had opportunities in the open court. Bell finished with 25 points against JSA Indiana.” – Scout.com analyst Evan Daniels on Bell at the adidas May Classic.

What does he do that warrants a 95 out of 100? Might be a lack luster video here but how high can you rank a guy on potential. If someone has seen him play please help me fill in the blanks b/c from this video he looks like a lazy player who is using the fact that he is taller than most on the court to get his shots. ????

Spiderman0551

Kid looks pretty solid fundamentaly. Looks bigger than 185 lbs too. I think with what his game looks like on here, he should bulk up to 220-230 lbs and it wouldn’t hurt him much. Looks to be an undersized power forward and with the added muscle I think he could be pretty good. Not overly athletic but a solid player by this video. I’m thinking a Daryl Thomas type player, and I’d take 5 of him on the floor at any time.

IUfanPurduePhD

This guy wasn't on my radar. Thanks Alex!

Plane1972

This kid would be a real coaching challenge: he's too big (for high school) not to be playing him down low, but he's got a decent handle to allow him to roam a little. He seems like a tweener for the 3 and 4 (not polished enough for the 3 and not forceful enough for the 4). Perhaps a couple more inches and 30 more lbs will make him a solid 4, but someone better work that finger-roll out of his repertoire.

Diesel

The Bozich link on Crean at Huber's has an interesting bit from Crean on players sticking around for the summer. Creek of course did not have a choice but to stay, and Pritch was forced to stay on campus for putting on too much weight last summer. VJ3 and CWat are home during the 1st summer session, everyone else is pretty much on campus. Hopefully CWat is hitting the weights. No worries about Verdell, his dad works him pretty good and his progress last summer was evident.

Uncle Joey

I like TJ, but I feel like there's bigger catches in the 2012 class.

GFDave

The kid has a really good frame and moved well.

aceman07

Agreed Joey. I do believe there are far better catches in 2012 as well. I don't think he's big enough to play down low or quick enough to play outside. To me he looks like a cheaper version of CW and would get a thousand shots blocked in the BIG 10.

Kelin Blab

I saw those as well. I like his elston comments that I believe will be accurate along with his Watford Pippen comments.

On a side note, I wonder who will replace leary this year with Fish? Hopefully it is Dakich or at least someone as edgy/grouchy as him and leary.

Diesel

Yeah, I wonder how big the B10 Network gig is for him. I would certainly love for him to have the position. I liked Leary, but it felt a little Slick Leonard at times. I think DD would be a bit more unbiased in his approach and tell it like it is like he does on his radio show. What does he have to lose? It's not like he is going to get the IU head coaching job, he's already been passed for that and even if he did want to get back in we probably would have heard some noise when the asst. coach position opened up, but we heard nothing. We also would get that coaches perspective which fans often lack.

I bet Laskowski is approached as well, but I'd go for DD in a heartbeat

BaseballBuc

Interesting comments on Dakich's show today regarding being an assisstant at Purdue and saying how IU hasn't played hard under Crean the last 2 years.

Young Kelin Zeller

When Mo went down the season was over. I don’t think any of us realize the effect he had on the teams confidence last year, you could see it in the kentucky game where HE was one of the only kids who felt IU could compete with them, and for a half they did. Some of the others were in awe, while Mo was distributing cans of whup ass to each KY defender who guarded him.

I have a feeling that ‘it’ factor will be back next year with Mo returning. I agree (CRI), williams, story, in particular got after it but just didn’t have the talent.

Laskowski would be good, ofcourse has some issues with the carmel stuff, we will see….

Kelin Blab

Missed those comments what did he say…..is it just me or does Dakich still have some bad blood at IU. Love his show, just have gotten that feeling since he was not hired.

MillaRed

I mentioned earlier in the year that Dakich gives me a D-bag vibe. A few ITH came to his defense. If those comments were made, he's a D-bag. He certainly looks like one.

BaseballBuc

Some caller called in and said something about Dakich taking an asst. job at PU. He responded saying that he would love to have that job because he loves Matt Painter and thinks it would be good for Matt and also good for him. Don't think he would ever do it but said he would enjoy it. He also said he wouldn't care what the IU alumni thought. As far as the IU comments, he said, “all I do is tell you the truth. IU has won about 3 football games in the last 10 years and the basketball team has won about 10.” He followed up saying that the IU Basketball team hasn't played hard the last 2 years.

I do think he is still a little bitter for not landing that job but get over it. Because your not going to get hired at Indiana for serving as an interim coach for 3 weeks.

Kelin Blab

The IU basketball team hasn't played hard in two years is simply not true. The 1st Crean year those kids got after it and for moments/games last season the kids did the same.

I know painter is a very good coach, but lets see how things pan out over these next few years when he loses his big three.

Funny….interim coach for 3 weeks and not getting hired or even getting interviewed. I think there was a STRONG IU 'people' sentiment after the Davis and Sampson era, IU would have to hire an IU Guy. When they didn't many felt shunned again.

I don't know where this program would be with an IU guy (Brownell, Dakich, Wittman, Zeke, or Lawrence Frank) but what I do know or believe, it would not have been much different when it comes to wins and loses and especially recruiting. Seriously…Does Brownell get Teague, Irving, or Zeller to commit to IU?

Kelin Blab

Milla I defended Dakich, can't defend him much now with those comments. If he wants to join painters staff go for it, it would not phase me one bit.

GFDave

I would guess that the PUke comments were just for their entertainment value, but that the “play” hard comments are more heartfelt. Just guessing there. I agree with Kelin in that in Crean Year One (CR1), the kids played their asses off and competed to the very best of their ability, which wasn't too high. I definitely believe that there was a period where the team quit during CR2. It was close to the end of the season. It got turned around a little bit. Hated seeing it.

Diesel

Keep in mind this is talk radio guys, he's not being interviewed for a story (the football team clearly won more than 3 games over the past 10 years so his comments are already exaggerated)…..but would it be accurate to say IU did not play hard last year? Would it be accurate to say they didn't play hard most of last year? OK, well they played kind of hard, most of the time.

When I see guys getting beat down the floor, hanging their heads, getting beat on defense, I call that not playing hard. Doesn't mean I don't support the Hoosiers. Just listen to what Crean said about VO and Sheehey in the Bozich link – if these two will see the court it is because they will bring an energy and a toughness.

Outoftheloop

Dan had a great opportunity to pull it all together with a very talented group for a deep NCAA run. He did not connect with the players. He could not motivate the players. He could not shape great talent into a team. No team in recent IU history refused to play “hard” more than his team did. Yes it was a tough situation. But it also was his only chance to show his coaching talent with a top 16 or final four place in the NCAA. I hope he goes to Purdue if he wants to. He will not be a recruiting asset within the state, because Painter does that, and he has NO credibility or reputation outside the state.

Outoftheloop

Who is Zeke? If he is Mike Woodson, then we would now have Patterson committed. Too bad Broad Ripple doesn't have a lot more talent!

Kelin Blab

Zeke = Isaih Thomas

Kelin Blab

great point. There was an obvious disconnect with the team immediately when he took over. Not fully his fault but there was just nothing there for the remainder of the season or tourney. What could have been that year….wow.

Diesel

That's the equivalent of saying CTC walked into a great opportunity yet mustered 6 wins the next season, its absurd! He couldn't motivate them and shape them because they refused to go to class, stop smoking dope and drinking, show up to practice, etc etc. If anything, what does it say about the leadership of DJ White and Eric Gordon? It doesn't. Because it was the worst possible situation for a coach to be in, inheriting a team full of cancers that just got their world rocked and wanted someone else to be the coach. If no team in recent years refused to play hard more than that team, you clearly missed out on the Davis years. And he is not going to coach at Purdue, it was a backhanded comment on a sports talk radio show.

marcusgresham

That's the second reference I've seen regarding issues at Carmel. What happened? We don't hear about that down in this part of the state. Hell, we don't hear about anything high school related unless it's St. X, Trinity, or Male, all in Louisville.

marcusgresham

Speaking of Mo…just saw a sound bite from Crean (sporting a dapper crimson blazer, I might add,) out at Huber's, and he said there's no timetable for his return. “Could be July or August,” but “we have to slow him down some” periodically. I'd take that as a good sign of progress in healing if he's trying to do more than expected already.

Outoftheloop

No it is not! Look who we are talking about specifically. D J White was unquestionably the best Big Man in the Big-10 that year, is playing in the NBA, was a great worker, and had NO negative issues. Eric Gordon, was unquestionably the best guard/small forward in the the Big-10 that year, is a rising star in the NBA, was a great worker, and had NO negative issues. Jordan Crawford was unquestionably the best freshman in the Big-10 that year not named Gordon, will be in the NBA next year after a great season at Xavier, was a good but inconsistent worker, and had NO negative issues. Armon Bassett is/was an enigma, talented, troubled, good team player, immature and unreliable, with negative issues, but not all bad. Ellis and Thomas should never have been recruited. Holman was a red-shirt. McGee we never saw on the court and to this day I don't know if he was involved in the negative issues, but he did not last long at Auburn. Then you have Stemler, Taber and White, each a good citizen, a hard worker, and a medium Div I basketball player. White, Gordon, Crawford, Bassett, Taber, Stemler, White a solid 7 plus McGee. That is more talent than Dan Dakich had ever coached on one team in his career. Yes it was tough. Yes it would have been a “great story” to make a run to the final four. But it was possible and Dakich would have been coach for a long time at IU if he had succeeded! Great coaches take those rare opportunities and DO IT! The last 3 games that year were BAD losses to PN St ( a weak team), to MN (whom we had just beaten by 14 points 9 days before), and finally to Arkansas (where we quit in the NCAA Tourney). Dan earned no consideration for the head coach position in those games.

Outoftheloop

I agree.

Outoftheloop

I knew that but I think of him as “Isaiah”. Thanks.

Diesel

I'm not saying Dakich should have been given the job. I don't think he would have done as well as Crean has done. But to say he had a great opportunity to pull it all together is far from reality. It's why Crean came in and blew the whole thing up. There is more to a team than talent.

Would you mind sharing your opinion on Calipari as a coach?

Diesel

Basically “hazing” (this was in the paper so I do mind saying it) that involved 3-4 seniors against a freshman, several incidences occured in the locker room and one on the team bus in which the freshman was held and some type of “anal penetration” occured, thus the hazing is was more of a sexual assault that was pled down to misdemeanor charges.

Outoftheloop

We agree that Dakich, by his performance, did not earn consideration for the IU head coach job. Do you agree with me that if he had performed well, gone to an NCAA regional, he would have earned such consideration (and probably the job!). To me that is a great opportunity! You can go from being fired at Bowling Green, out of work, to assistant coach at IU, then interim head coach, and if you just figure out a way to WIN TWO GAMES in the NCAA Tourney, with a very talented but very troubled roster, then you will earn the IU head coach job! He was essentially out of college coaching. If he could just win two games in the NCAA Tourney, he would have been named (probably) the IU head coach. If I believe that I am a very good basketball coach and IU is my school, that is exactly the opportunity I want! Of course it is not easy! Everyone expects you to fail. When you do fail no one blames you. But if you can do it, then you achieve YOUR DREAM! Win two games! Find a way! That is all it took. We agree that there is more to a great team than talent.Calipari is a great recruiter, an above average game/preparation coach, a total failure in caring about the academic well being and non-NBA future of his players, and a proven cheater under the college rules.

Diesel

Couldn't reply to your most recent post for some reason, so I'll do it up here.

I agree with your most recent take, it helps me better understand where you are coming from, and for the record I agree with your Calipari stance as well.